March 2017 Running Challenge

01/03 4.17
02/03 Rest
03/03 3.09
04/03 Rest
05/03 7.50
06/03 Rest
07/03 Rest
08/03 4.22
09/03 Rest
10/03 3.15
11/03 Rest
12/03 9.0
13/03 Rest
14/03 Rest
15/03 4.22
16/03 Rest
17/03 3.21
18/03 Rest
19/03 6.39
20/03 Rest
21/03 Rest
22/03 5.30

Total 50.25/70 target

@epr3996 well done on your 5 miles!!

@Orphia okayyyyyyyy.


Well I didn't run at the weekend, just wasn't feeling it, but went for a hike instead.

Met with a couple of friends in slightly drizzling rain and a cold wind on a hilltop (why?) for a tramp along the Ridgeway, to Wayland's Smithy, and Uffington White Horse.



Wayland's Smithy is a neolithic Chambered long barrow - there are no bones left but originally it contained the burials of 14-20 people.

then we traipsed to see Uffington White Horse. It was very hilly and very cold!!! and you can't see much!!



the stylised horse was carved out of the chalk hill side in the Iron Age (2,500-3,00 years ago) and look slike this from the air:



despite the cold weather, it was well worth heading out for a walk but five miles was enough for me!!!

Finally checking back in. Been out since Saturday with a nasty respiratory bug. Finally feeling somewhat human, and finally back at work. I've basically lost another week of running, so March is totally shot, and I'm looking at major rethinking, if I'm still going to try to train up to finish my marathon in just over 12 weeks. ugh....run/walk is starting to be more of an option now.

T'was a great run today!

'Bout sums it up.

3/4 - 3 miles
3/5 - 1.5 miles
3/6 - 1.5 miles
3/7 - 1.5 miles
3/8 - 1.5 miles
3/9 - 1.5 miles
3/10 - rest
3/11 - 3 hilly miles
3/12 - 1.5 zippy miles
3/13 - 1.5 hilly miles
3/14 - 3 miles
3/15 - 3 miles
3/16 - 2 miles
3/17 - rest
3/18 - 3 miles
3/19 - 3 miles
3/20 - 3 miles
3/21 - 3miles
3/22 - 3 miles

39.5 of 38 miles total

Still trying to get caught up on posts. I've given up going waaaay back but am reading the last half dozen pages.

@Elise4270 I love your new profile photo!! I'm glad you got to see your son.
@girlinahat back on the Friday you mentioned that the more you run, the slower and more tired you get. Are you getting enough sleep? I rarely do but when I do get enough sleep, I'm amazed at how much better a run feels.
@_nikkiwolf_ your post about cameras at the next intersection gave me an idea. I sent a note to the investigator asking about cameras at intersections further down the road in the direction she was headed. I told him I'd be willing to bring my son in to go through any video footage to try to identify the vehicle, and ultimately the woman. There's such a slim chance of finding her but that just might be the way to do it. The investigator checked for footage of the intersection of hit & run, but not further down the road. Great new kicks, btw.
@MNLittleFinn that's awesome that your wife is getting into racing!! You guys will have to build a dedicated shoe closet.
@Katiejane83 glad you love your Altras! Going from 10mm to 0mm drop can be quite a change for some but it sounds like you're doing quite well with it. I'm still trying to get my lacing just right on my Altras and am getting close. The lace-locking method which @BeeerRunner told me about helped quite a bit in that regard. I will say, however, that for me it was easier to run with a zero drop on the trails than on the road. My theory is that my stride is lazy on the road because it can be, whereas on the trail you need to be more nimble, and use more mid or forefoot on the landing.
@HRKinchen great looking dog
@Orphia regarding the weekly long run as a percentage, the conventional wisdom says 25% to 33% but I think it really depends on your base, types of runs you're doing, and history of injury. The greater your base, the greater the percentage can be. I know ultrarunners with long runs which might be 75% or more of their weekly total. Looking back since the beginning of my ultra training (mid November), my average is 44%. Five times it's been over 50%. Do I recommend that? No, but I would recommend getting to know how your body reacts and recovers from the long run and not be afraid of going over the 33% as long as you're running healthy, uninjured, have gradually built up to the distance, and have a solid base. Another key point for me is that ALL of my miles are now easy, conversational pace miles. I haven't had a tempo run since November. Were I doing tempos or intervals, holding back on long runs would be more important. I'm also generally alternating hard weeks (increasing mileage) with easy weeks (a 10 to 20 percent drop in mileage). I've kept injury free this training cycle until last weekend with my calf muscle issue but I believe the cause of that was going gung-ho on stair climbing the week prior, without easing into it. In summary I'd say that that 33% is a good reference until you've run long enough to really know your body and how it responds to and recovers from long runs.
@MobyCarp congrats on the 8K PR!
@dkabambe, @autumnblade75 congrats on your runs!
@HonuNui - 1st place!!!! I like that key chain and I would LOVE a Taiko drummer send off like that, though I'd probably hang around to listen to them rather than start the race.
@BeeerRunner sounds like a great week of skiing and soccer!
@Stoshew71 ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!!
@ko4q that looks like a beautiful spot for a picnic
@NikolaosKey it was running & basketball that really threw off my training last year ahead of my marathon. It took me out of running for nearly 3 weeks. Hope it heals quickly.
@ddmom0811 sometimes I can't believe I'm going to run an ultra either. I step back and wonder, what in the heck do I think I'm doing? But the miles are coming and I'm enjoying the heck out of it. One thing I love about this upcoming ultra is that I have no idea what my time will be. I mean, I'll throw out that I'm hoping for a 6 to 6.5 hour finish, but I know that could easy go longer. There is so much variability in a trail ultra...weather, hills, running surface, technical aspects...that there is no calculator to predict my finish time. While frustrating, it's also nice because I'm not keyed up about it like I was last year for my full.
@lporter229 glad you're feeling better on your runs!

I'm all caught up!! (well, except for those several pages earlier in the month).

2.12 in today